A method for marking individual animals in motion-triggered camera studies

Majchrzak, Yasmine N.; Menzies, Allyson K.; Doran‐Myers, Darcy; Peers, Michael J. L.; Studd, Emily K.; Boonstra, Rudy; Boutin, Stan

doi:10.1007/s42991-022-00225-7

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…We suspect these methods would be increasingly difficult to apply in winter when markings may be even more difficult to discern due to a shaggier winter coat and likely obscured by deep snow. Newly developed techniques for marking individuals with identifiable tags (Majchrzak et al 2022) could help in this regard but require trapping and handling of a subset of individuals. Using cameras to estimate lynx density with techniques for unmarked animals is unreliable (Doran‐Meyers 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canada lynx occupancy and density in Glacier National Park

2023

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Protected areas are the cornerstone of conservation strategies for threatened and endangered species. Because protected areas often are insulated from many anthropogenic threats, and contain substantial topographic relief, they may be particularly important as climatic refugia for cold-adapted, atrisk species. Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) are a cold-adapted, threatened species, and reach the southern limits of their distribution in the contiguous United States, where they exist in several disjunct populations largely on multiple-use lands (e.g., national forests). Glacier National Park (GNP) is one of the few, large, protected areas located within Canada lynx range in the contiguous United States, and therefore a potentially important lynx stronghold within the Northern Rockies lynx recovery unit. Despite its potential importance, knowledge of lynx populations within the park is extremely limited. We completed a park-wide occupancy survey of lynx using an array of motion-sensitive cameras during summers in 2018-2021. Within a smaller area of the park, we also estimated lynx density by identifying individuals from subtle markings on the inside of the front leg and employing spatially explicit capture-recapture analysis. Finally, we linked park-wide predictions of occupancy with local density to estimate lynx population size across GNP. Lynx were distributed across much of the park in summer and occupancy was influenced by a combination of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) relative abundance, forest associations, climate, and fire. We were able

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%